Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
CHARLIE
SO MUCH FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS
“ D inner smells good.”
“Thanks.”
Brooks leans back, waiting for a kiss, which I happily give. It’s not a Christmas dinner, but it might as well be.
Brooks, ever the chef, prepared beef Wellington, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and fresh cranberry sauce. Bacon-wrapped dates are sitting out as an appetizer. My contribution? I bought rolls from the local bakery on my way home.
“Now if only everyone would hurry up and get here so we can eat, they can go home and we can have dessert.”
“What’s this dessert you’re thinking of?” Brooks asks.
I slide my hands under his apron, resting just above his belt. “You.”
“Not the chocolate mousse I made everyone?”
I press a kiss into his neck. “Maybe licking it off you.”
“Charlie,” Brooks moans. “You cannot do this to me five minutes before our families come over for dinner. ”
“Why not?” I nip at his ear. I know we don’t have time to fool around. But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to edge this man as much as possible.
It’s hard to believe how fast time has flown by since we started this, spending every spare minute we can together.
It’s about as perfect a holiday as I ever could have hoped for.
Brooks sidesteps me to reach for a jar of spices next to the oven. “You’re going to get us in trouble, Charlie.”
“Sue me. I can’t help it if you’re irresistible.”
Brooks winks at me. “Get the drinks out. They’ll be here any minute.”
It’s as if his words summon them. A knock echoes at the front door followed by Comet’s barks.
Comet follows me to the door, his tail wagging wildly as it swings open and he bolts for Brooks’s parents. My own parents smile down at the happy guy, waiting patiently for their turn to love on the exuberant furball.
“Charlie!” Mom wraps me in a hug, shaking snow off her coat. “I’ve missed you. I can’t believe I had to hear from Jane that you and Brooks are dating. No phone call? Nothing. It’s like I don’t even exist.”
“That’s a touch dramatic.”
Dad pats me on the shoulder as he walks in with Brooks’s parents behind him. “You know she wishes you lived closer so she could hear everything that’s going on in your life.”
“You’re the ones that moved, not me.”
“We don’t see you enough,” Mike, Brooks’s dad, tells me as he takes off his coat and bends over to pet Comet.
“I spend most of my time at the bar,” I tell him.
“Not all your time.” Brooks comes up and hugs his parents and mine. “I get plenty of his time too.”
I steal a kiss from Brooks.
My mom claps her hands together. “Jane, aren’t they just so cute? Who would have ever thought they’d be together? ”
“Certainly not me,” Jane answers. “I love it.”
Brooks rolls his eyes as he heads back into the kitchen to get eggnog ready for everyone. “Okay, Mom. Come grab a drink. Dinner is ready.”
Brooks sets the Beef Wellington in the center of the table as everyone takes their seats with a glass of eggnog in hand.
“Brooks, you’ve outdone yourself,” Dad says. “You should be a chef.”
Brooks smiles at him and passes a dish to him. “I’m having too much fun working for Hunter.”
“Really? Out at the tree farm?” Mom asks.
Brooks nods and takes a helping of green beans onto his plate. “I started helping him with his website. He’s got some great ideas. I’m really liking it.”
“You’re good at what you do.” Jane pats Brooks on the arm.
Conversation is light as everyone piles their plates high with food and digs in. Every bite is delicious. The perfect dinner with the best company.
After all the dinner dishes are cleared, I grab the dessert and bring it out for everyone.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Brooks,” I tell him as I spoon a bite of the chocolatey dessert into my mouth.
“We might have to move home just to have you cook for us,” Mom says.
“I don’t know if even that’s a big enough draw to get her home in the winter,” Dad says. “But it’s tempting.”
I wave them off. “You love the sunshine too much to move back.”
“Maybe we need to move down there. Now that Brooks doesn’t need us,” Jane says.
“Really?” Brooks asks, dropping his spoon down onto his plate. “You want to move to Florida?”
Mike shrugs a shoulder. “We’ve thought about it. We didn’t want to leave when you were going through everything. But now?”
“Now we’re not as worried about you.” Brooks’s mom smiles at the two of us. “It’s so nice to see you doing so well after the divorce, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Brooks tells her. “All Charlie.”
Brooks leans over and gives me a sweet kiss. Hearing his words has a warmth spreading through me. I would do this again in a heartbeat to see Brooks this happy.
“Aww, Nancy. Do you think we can start planning their wedding now?” Brooks’s mom asks my mom.
“You’ve always imagined a Christmas wedding, haven’t you, Charlie?” Mom asks.
“Mom. Brooks just got divorced.”
“Besides,” Brooks interjects, “I have no plans on getting married again. Problem solved.”
“What, really?” Jane asks. “You don’t want to get married again?”
Brooks shakes his head at his mom. “Is this something we really need to be talking about right now?”
“I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Really?” Brooks asks. “I don’t think it’s that surprising considering I just got divorced.”
“But Charlie.” Jane turns her attention to me. “You want to get married, right?”
“I mean, I always planned on it.”
The only problem was that I never found someone I wanted to get married to. Now I have Brooks. Who is adamant about not getting married again.
Brooks pins me with a pleading look, wanting to explain himself. But why would he?
Logically, I knew this. But I don’t think I ever let myself comprehend it.
Eggnog curdles in my stomach. Do Brooks and I have an end date? Whenever I pictured the two of us together, that was it. When Brooks fell in love with me, we’d be together forever. We rushed into this, and I never really stopped to think about what would happen if it didn’t work out. I never thought that our feelings toward marriage would get in the way.
Could I handle never getting married? I’ve always wanted it, ever since I was a little boy. To show the world that I love this man so much, that we’re tied together forever.
“Listen.” Jane stands, collecting the dessert dishes from the table. “We’re going to head home. Nancy, Bill, would you like to come over for a drink?”
“Sure.”
They say goodbye quickly while I head to the sink to start doing the dishes. How did it go from having an enjoyable evening with everyone to this weird limbo? To worrying about what our future holds.
“Hey.” Brooks comes up next to me and grabs the sponge from my hand. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
I don’t look at him, staring at the bubbles in the sink.
“Look, Charlie. I don’t want to lie to you. Getting married isn’t in the cards for me. My marriage ended in disaster. Hell, I’m staying at your house because I still don’t have a place to live.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” Brooks grasps my chin and turns my gaze to meet his. There’s a sadness in his eyes.
“Yeah.”
Maybe. Maybe I’ve been lying to myself this whole time. Maybe Hunter was right. Not that I’ll ever admit that to him, but God, this feeling sucks right now.
“Charlie.”
“I’m going to go to bed.” I step out of Brooks’s hold. “I need to do inventory tomorrow at the bar, so it’s going to be a long day. ”
“Okay.”
It looks like Brooks wants to say more, but he doesn’t. What could he say to make me feel better? He never lied to me.
Turns out I was just lying to myself.
So much for a merry Christmas.